Transformers Retribution: More Than Meets the Eye
by QuietKnight'sWrath
Summary: Starscream's next plot to overthrow Megatron fails before it even starts. The Seeker tries to cover up the ridiculous scheme, but a single witness, a young Vehicon, escapes the Decepticon base. The drone ends up in Autobot territory, who struggle to teach the stubborn bot that there is more to life than following orders. (Characters from different cartoons/ mixed canons)
1. Chapter 1

[Prologue]

To be ignored was both a blessing and a curse. No one got involved in his business, but he neve got a second opinion. He slipped from one room to another unnoticed, but no one inquired about the wicked yet pained expression he wore. He was high enough in rank to go where he pleased, but no one gave a slag if he came back or not. Second on Command was a respected title, but he never got any respect. He was the toughest Seeker from the academy, but he had lost count of how many times his aft had been kicked to the curb for the sake of entertainment. Overall, his circumstances yielded advantages that a genius like himself could not pass up. Unfortunately, such things come with a price, and Starscream was getting tired of the nine million years and counting that he had spent paying. Paying to the bot that least deserved it.

Starscream was miserable. He was familiar enough with misery to know how to bounce back and move on, but every cycle seemed a little more cruel that the last. Back in the early days, Megatron was usually content to just punch him and send him to a different room. That old rusty bag of bolts got more creative over time though. Trapping him in his alt mode, abandoning him to the Autobots, beating him to the edge of stasis lock, constant humiliation in front of the other Decepticons and destroying any reputation he had left. It was no wonder that everyone ignored him. Megatron made it a habit to tell everyone just how useless he thought Starscream was. Why was he ever surprised by the countless schemes against him? The assassination attempts? The heated arguments? The constant betrayal and lies? No doubt, anyone else would do the same. Yes, Starscream was sure of his rightness. Megatron was a pathetic leader and deserved to suffer for it. He just needed to make it happen!

That was the goal brewing under his helm. One more ultimate plan. The final victory. The plot that would bestow upon him the power he deserved. This was the moment. This moment would bring him the coveted title... or getting offlined by the cold hands of Megatron.

Silent as a ghost, the multi-colored Seeker discreetly but casually made his way through the bland halls of the Decepticon base. The warrior class ignored him, scientists ignored everyone in general, and mindless Vehicons weaved among them all loaded with cargo and processor-numbing errands.

At least a dozen drones walked past him, completely taken with whatever order they were obeying. At least, Starscream assumed such. Vehicons did not have sparks and were under the control of a bot that did have one. No need to guess who. That was what he was told, at least. They did, however, take orders from anyone higher in rank as long as the commands did not contradict. This little design flaw was essential for his next move against his soon to be former leader. This scheme would triumph over every miserable failure. Starscream could see that future clearly. The defeated Megatron, offlined on the ground, and an army of loyal Vehicons at his back ensuring a long and successful reign on power. The Autobots would surrender in terror, Optimus Prime imprisoned to suffer for eternity. The Decepticons would finally learn to respect him. The ever silent Soundwave had the potential to become a valuable Second in Command with those cassette spies of his. He might keep Shockwave. Or send him to deep space. Whatever feels more "logical" at the time. As the leader, Starscream could do anything and never be questioned or beaten again.

_All hail Lord Starscream!_

* * *

The unused storage room flaunted an impressive amount of Earth dirt and cobwebs from those unsavory tiny beasts, which was not surprising considered that no one bothered to come to this area often enough to warrant a thorough cleaning. The ten Vehicons standing in the middle of the room, arms loaded with tools and spare parts, did not seem to care. A few stood closer to the walls, expecting to be ordered to start cleaning. Most remained stationary, unsure of how to proceed with Commander Starscream's vague order to leave the upper levels of the base and follow his instructions as quickly as possible. The Seeker gasped something about Megatron's health being at risk, so every one of them complied. They were aware of their Lord's opinion of Starscream and his less than ideal reputation, though they had no opinion themselves. Work was work. It must be done to Megatron's satisfaction.

The most experienced of the group stood tall in the middle, overseeing the newer batch. New models with purple paintjobs and menacing sharp edges. Below average guns waited in their appendages, and blank visors covered the red optics on the other side. They had only been cobbled together with the parts of fallen warriors a few mega-cycles ago. Old enough to take orders but not mature enough to truly comprehend anything more complex than guard duty and basic chores. Why Starscream picked them out specifically was beyond him. Any drone can work efficiently. Why pick the naïve ones? The older model wondered if that was a deliberate decision or just an unwise one. The devious Seeker was capable of either.

The drone remained silent as Starscream locked them in the room and proceeded to explain his "project" on Megatron's behalf. It started out normal enough. The commander informed them the Autobots have stepped up their game, and with the help of their human pets, have created defense systems that can keep out Vehicons and even some of the Casseticons as well. This revolutionary technology had the potential to get more advanced, perhaps one day be able to identify any Decepticons and repel it indefinitely. The Seeker's plan, of course, was to start making modifications on the newer models to make them immune to the Autobots supposed defenses. It may even be possible to make Vehicons resistant to opponent weaponry in combat. All the commander wanted was to try it out on some "willing" volunteers. The Vehicons said nothing, though a few young models took the slightest step back. They could not refuse without reason, but none of them wanted to be experimented on by Starscream of all mechs. The older drone felt the slightest tinge of suspicion that something was off, but he was all too aware that they had no say in what the commander wanted to do with them. So, he stepped forward first. If it was all a trick, perhaps the other drones would the chance to signal back to Megatron or Soundwave. This old drone would put up a fight if necessary.

The Seeker wore a victorious smirk as the drone allowed him access to his circuitry. Prickling sensations zipped up and down his structure as signals of confusion and distress started bouncing around among the others after Starscream opened him up and started picking him apart. It was painful to have his insides podded, moved, twisted, and jerked, but flinching would have made it so much worse. The drone remained focused on the grey face frowning in concentration and not the blue hands manipulating the delicate parts that kept him alive.

"You should not look your superior in the optics like that," the Seeker snapped while shifted through tangled wires, "You stupid drones should know your place." He stepped around the drone and began on the inside of the helm, leaving the chest plates open. "You will be much more useful to me when these thick heads of yours are empty. After a fresh start, you will have plenty of opportunities to impress me."

The drone felt awakened and dreadfully cold for the first time. Empty? A fresh start? A few warbles and chirps of increased stress emitted from the young group. Primus, their memories were going to be erased. Nine visors with wide optics underneath focused on their eldest, silently begging for an excuse to leave or start firing in defense or report the experimentation to a superior officer. They knew nothing. They were too young. None of them had ever fired a weapon before. They just ran errands. Cleaned floors. Polished armor. That was all they had, and they wanted to keep it, but not a single Decepticon knew that drones could feel anything at all.

**Rage. Rage. Rage. RAGE. **

With the spark of a gladiator, the drone made a grab for the commander's hands while also delivering a punch to his faceplates. Starscream flailed and landed on his aft in an admittedly hilarious fashion. That screechy voice yelping like a kicked sparkling made it even funnier.

"Go!" The drone addressed the others vocally, surprising them into action.

They scattered like blinded Insecticons, some heading for the locked door, some staying put and sending distress calls to Soundwave, and others clutching the tools tightly and reluctantly expecting orders from someone else. Chaos. The Seeker was standing again with a look of murder directed at the drones. The fire had been lit long ago, and he clearly wanted someone to burn. Someone to blame. Starscream's hands found him again, ripping delicate parts away instead of experimenting this time. Hand to hand combat, uncommon as it was in real fight, often ended up being what determined the cleverest fighter. The drone did not stand a chance. The Seeker was too fast and too cunning. Too good at cheaply ripping into an opponent to make the fight easier.

It happened too fast. The defiant mech took his last blow before landing on the dusty ground, a heavy foot planted on his helm to keep him there. Starscream wore a scrap-eating grin of triumph. His mouth started to open and unleash some egocentric monologue, but when his optics hit the back of the room, the triumph was replaced with horror. One, two, three, four, five in the back. Six, seven, eight in the middle. Nine under his foot.

The door was open.


	2. Chapter 2

If asked, not a single Decepticon would have said anything unusual about that day. Every bot did as they always did. Roughousing put a collection of dents into the drab metal walls. The command center was filled with Megatron's ranting and raving. Computer consoles were occupied by scientists and drones looking for fuel deposits and Autobot activity. All the floors were scuffed by tired shuffles and and furious stomping. The sounds of arguments, boasts, and crude jokes echoed throughout the entire base. The buzz of activity kept everyone busy, and the consistant routine was a pleasant distraction from thoughts of war and the mudball planet they were trapped on with their greatest enemies lurking somewhere in the muk.

A sudden commotion roused every bot from their usual routine, however. Warriors stopped, drones paused, and even a few scientists glanced up from their data pads to stare at the scrawny young Vehicon practically sprinting up the hall as if an angered Unicron were on his heels.

_GO!_

_Go where?_

_GO!_

_What am I supposed to do?_

Protocol had been broken. There was no strict path to follow now. It felt like an important part of its processor had been cruelly ripped out, leaving a gaping hole behind. The drone needed someone else to fix this._ Yes, someone stronger and superior could fix this._ The Vehicon approached one of the nearest bots, which just so happened to be Thundercracker. The blue Seeker gave a look on contempt to the Vehicon optic-level with the rockets on his arms. The expression of distaste deepened when the drone began frantically pointing down the opposite end of the hallway, all while beeping and clicking as all young Vehicons did before their speech processors had finished developing and adapting to local languages.

"Were you just protoformed, drone?" The Seeker sneered down at him, causing the Vehicon to take a step back. "Get out of the way, and get back to work!" Thundercracker nudged the drone away with his foot when it refused to move, just standing in front of him.

The sound of cruel laughter caught both their attention. The purple and grey Seeker, Skywarp, had been watching the floundering drone from an empty doorway. Skywarp, Thundercracker, and Starscream were nearly identical, though the differed in color and personality. Starscream was the ambitious traitor, Thundercracker was the creative mind, and Skywarp was the cruel trickster.

His not-so-bright twin maintained a chilling smirk as he kept his optics on the shortest of the three. "Obviously I'm laughing at this thing! How did you break it? I've never seen drones act so weird. You know Megatron is going to blow if he finds out that the last batch is broken. Resources are hard enough to salvage with the Autobots crawling around."

"It was already like that," the blue Seeker grumbled, "If you want it that badly, get it away from me already. Some of us have work to do. I'm already behind from Starscream slacking off to scheme again."

Skywarp's mocking reply was cut off by the drone chirping louder and pointing back the way it came. "What's that, little guy?" Skywarp hunched down closer to the drone. "Is Screamer down there?"

_Finally!_ The Vehicon nodded quickly, relieved to get the point across. _Perfect. Now they can fix this, and everything will go back to normal_. Unfortunately, the drone did not quite get his wish.

The purple Seeker roughly grabbed the drone by the shoulder plate and dragged him closer. "Ha! Starscream must be at it again. Too bad I got one of his toys! What are you thinking? Should we go to Megatron?"

"Soundwave should be coordinating the drones," Thundercracker pondered out loud, "He's probably investigating it right now. Nothing gets past Soundwave."

The drone was unresponsive in Skywarp's grip, though the Seeker swore he detected a tremor of fear. "True. Well, what should we do with this one? Something is obviously wrong with it. It's too... You know! It's acting differently! Do we report it or scrap it? Though, I wouldn't mind having a personal servant close by... or blackmail for Starscream."

"I guess evidence of betrayal would be nice to have around," Thundercracker reluctantly admitted, "but you can't keep it here where Screamer can scrap it. Blackmail only works if you have tools to bargain with. You would know that if you used your processors."

Skywarp gave his new companion a rough shake and a cruel smile. "I'll hide it somewhere outside the base and drop the bomb on Starscream afterwards. While I do that, you start making a list of favors from our unsuspecting brother!"

Skywarp was well known for messing with the ambitious Seeker. Starscream's tendency to schreech and throw tantrums made him an interesting target of pranks, disrespect, and Megatron's perpetual bad mood. Thundercracker prefered to stay uninvolved while Skywarp was more than prepared to, as they say on Earth, "throw him under the bus." Starscream's scheming used to get all three of them in trouble until the other two formed a habit of letting the red Seeker fend for himself. Cruel but not undeserved. None of them were kind or deserving of kindness. They would not be Decepticons otherwise.

* * *

Mysteries were not what Soundwave wanted right then. The communications officer's attempt to answer a drone's distress signal ended without a clear cause. The room from which the signal was sent was now empty, though some dusty shelves were lined with storage containers overflowing with spare parts. Whoever called for assistance did not last long after the signal was lost. The stoic mech, even alone, did not show his growing frustration or curiosity. Drones never called for help, but that sudden burst of information definitely came from multiple Vehicons in distress. All that remained were parts. Not only was this fact unusual, it was against protocol. Scrapped drones were recycled into new workers, not hidden in forgotten rooms. These drones saw something they were not meant to see, most likely. All Decepticons had secrets. Racing at night, spies, ignoring duties, scheming. Someone got caught here and destroyed the witnesses. There was no evidence of what transpired specifically, and such information was lost in the destroyed Vehicons.

Of course, a solution would be lost to an average mech. The cold and calculated Soundwave had access to the entire facility. Security feed, schedules, plans, personal records. Secrets did not exist in his world. Anything the blue Decepticon could not find, he could send his cassettes to find on his behalf. Already, ideas were poring into his processor from Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage, Buzzsaw, and Lazorbeak.

_I bet Starscream is up to something again!_

_Or some mech got caught checking out easy afts._

_I can track them. I can trance any traitors._

_It can't be Autobots. Nothing important was taken or destroyed._

_Unprofessional cover up. I agree that Starscream is most likely to blame._

A simple enough conclusion. The troubled Seeker, or one of his trine, were always disrupting the peace in one way or another. Taking Ravage's suggestion, Soundwave freed the Cassetticon from his chest, allowing the feline mech to start tracking down all involved. Their connection allowed all of Ravage's findings to immediately upload to his master. Starscream had indeed been here, and so had ten different Vehicons. Ravage could distinguish each one, so there was no mistake on the numbers. Soundwave glanced at the walls of dusty storage room again. The shelves contained nine full containers of broken down parts. Ten Vehicons entered the room with Starscream, and nine were destroyed. Starscream and one Vehicon were unaccounted for. More thoughts began to buzz on this topic.

_Screamer must have tried something big this time!_

_But a witness got away! We can absolutely wreck him with that!_

_I can smell it. I can smell intense fear. It fled up to the main levels._

_Why would a Vehicon run for help? They are programmed to fight to the death._

_Maybe Starscream was tampering with them. Vehicons are not supposed to be independent enough to make their own choices._

That last comment from Lazorbeak created a stir among the cassettes. The inner workings of drones was not something most bots understood. It was common knowledge that defeated bots would be recycled into Vehicons to keep Decepticon numbers above the Autobots, but that was all the information that went around. The automated machinery that made Vehicons was the work of Shockwave, a mech that inspired enough fear that no one questioned his creations. Could it be that the drones were actually sentient? Could the extinguished sparks of fallen warriors be reignited to form new life? Some form of reincarnation? These questions could only be answered by Shockwave, though Soundwave was quite interested himself in seeing how this scenario would play out. He would find this drone. He would not terminate it yet for disobedience. He would question it first and get more information from Shockwave.

Ravage lead the way out of the room, following the faint scent of a terrified drone's energon.

* * *

"Stick close to me, Vehicon," Skywarp lead his new companion through the halls of the base, not needed to look back to make sure it was still there. "I can't wait to see Starscream throw a fit over this! If we're lucky, he might blow a circuit and go into stasis for a while. Maybe we'll even get some work done while he's dozing off!"

The little drone had to jog to keep up with the taller mech, all while keeping an eye out for the Seeker in question. _I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing now. There is too much changing to be processed._ With no other options, he decided to place all focus in Skywarp. This Seeker was his stability now. All would be well as long as he followed orders.


End file.
